If your chickpeas are not canned, you need to soak them overnight
and boil them until soft before using in this recipe.
125g (4oz) dried chickpeas should be enough to make this dish.

This recipe is adapted from Kumud Shah's Quick After-Work Indian
Vegetarian Cookbook.
Other Indian recipes, including some others from this book, are
available on my
website

Serves 2 as main dish, 4 as side dish

1/2 medium onion

2 large fresh tomatoes, or 3 tbsp tinned tomatoes

1 x 400g (14oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 tsp sunflower oil, or other flavourless vegetable oil

1/2 tsp cumin seed

1/2 tsp asafoetida (optional)

6 tbsp (100g, 4oz) frozen spinach, defrosted

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp mild chilli powder

1 tbsp dhana jheera (recipe below)

1 tsp amchoor (dried, powdered mango) - optional

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp tamarind sauce or lime juice

175ml (6fl oz) water

1. Peel and chop the onion.
Peel the tomatoes if you wish, then chop them finely (I don't think
it's worth peeling them - the pieces of skin should be very tiny
in the finished dish).
Drain the chickpeas and rinse them well.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin and asafoetida (if
using).
Stir, then add the onion.
Cook, stirring, until the onion is browned - if it begins to stick,
add a small amount of water and unstick it.